®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent To Hayle Place, Cripple Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6DW
Planning appeal 3350221 at Land Adjacent To Hayle Place, Cripple Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6DW (Maidstone Borough Council) was dismissed on 24 April 2025 by Inspector Pearce J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the site is a suitable location for housing having regard to development plan policy and accessibility to services and facilities.
for Nine Dwellings Utilising Existing Access plus Landscaping and Provision of Open Space
- Authority
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Pearce J
- Postcode
- ME15 6DW
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the site is a suitable location for housing having regard to development plan policy and accessibility to services and facilities
- whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the setting of the nearby listed building and the character or appearance of the Loose Valley Conservation Area
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the proposed development on trees
- the effect of the proposed development on ecology
- whether the proposed development would make adequate provision for affordable housing
What decided it
The proposal conflicts with the development plan on multiple grounds—unsuitable location, heritage harm, inadequate ecological survey, tree protection concerns, and lack of affordable housing—and material considerations do not indicate the appeal should be decided otherwise.
The limited public benefits of nine dwellings and associated social and economic benefits did not outweigh the less-than-substantial harm to the significance of the listed building and conservation area, particularly given the Council's demonstrated five-year housing supply.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy LPRSS1Policy LPRSP15Policy LPRSP14(B)Policy LPRENV1Policy LPRSP9Policy LPRQD4Policy LPRSP14(A)Policy LPRSP10(B)
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 212Paragraph 215
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Maidstone Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
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- Allowed27 October 20266011721Loxley House, Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood, Maidstone, ME17 3NT
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- Allowed26 October 20266010539Land Rear Of 58 Church Street, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone, ME17 4HN
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.